New & Noteworthy: Dior Addict Lacquer Plump

I can always think of a good excuse for a new lipstick, and summer happens to be rife with them! There are patio brunches, parties, bridal and baby showers, and let's not forget wedding season. That's where the new Dior Addict Lacquer Plump ($43) comes in. Billed as "the first plumping lacquered lip ink," Dior's latest claims to deliver long-lasting colour along with plumping and hydration benefits. In other words, it sounds like a perfect-for-all-occasions lip colour you'll reach for time and again because it makes a bold statement and feels great on the lips. Ready for a closer look?

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Of the new formulation, Dior makeup's creative director Peter Philips has said, "It is intensely colourful and long-lasting with unique radiance and shine effects, while its light texture provides incredible comfort." The oil and water emulsion delivers highly pigmented colour that supposedly lasts up to 8 hours in a single silky-smooth swipe. Natural hibiscus extract and hyaluronic acid hydrate the lips by up to 78% even 24 hours after application. This is not your typical long-lasting liquid lipstick, which can be drying and emphasize fine lines and look too harsh in warmer months. Dior Addict Lacquer Plump smoothes fine lines, plumps up lips, and dries to a glossy finish that catches the light and is super-flattering on sun-kissed skin.

The sponge-tip applicator is shaped like a flattened paddle and designed to apply the perfect amount of product in one swipe. I like to tilt the applicator a bit and draw an X over the cupid's bow with the tip before lining and filling in the rest of my top lip. Then I fill in the inner part of my lower lip with the flat paddle part of the applicator. Lining my lower lip is the last step. I don't know why, but in my experience following this order has resulted in the most polished results and the most precise lip line.

Swatched from left to right: 868 'J'Adior', 677 'Disco Dior', 648 'Dior Pulse', 327 'Glitterati'. As you can see, the glitter in 'Disco Dior' and 'Glitterati' is very fine and concentrated.

So what did Dior Addict Lacquer Plump feel like on the lips and how did it perform? First, the bad news: I was never able to achieve the promised 8 hours of wear. I find that's usually the case with hydrating lip colours; the moisturizing, hydrating, plumping ingredients intended to promote comfort and slip can interfere with the colour staying put. The topmost layer of Dior Addict Lacquer Plump—the glossy, shiny, slippery part—will kiss off on drinking glasses and napkins, but the underlying colour pigments really set and stain the lips. I found myself reapplying often to maintain the initial intensity of the lip colour, but if I didn't re-apply I'd still have this pretty Popsicle-stained-lips effect which was quite nice for summer. The stained-lips effect even lasted well into the next day.

But what Dior Addict Lacquer Plump lacks in staying power it makes up for in shine and comfort. Like I said before, I like a bit of glossiness and shine with my summer lip colours because flat matte can be too harsh, and Dior Addict Lacquer Plump delivers flattering shine in spades. What's more, it subtly plumps up lips and diminishes the fine lines in them, and it feels great on—like the lightest veil of moisturizing product and a kiss of hydration on the lips, with none of the stickiness or heaviness of cream- or wax-based formulas. The comfortable wear and flattering shine are the reasons why 648 'Dior Pulse' has been my go-to lately.

Let's be clear, Dior Addict Lacquer Plump would not be my first choice of lip colour for a barbecue because it's so transfer-prone. (Can you imagine trying to eat a burger?) Nor would it be stellar for a bride. But for a girl looking to update her signature red lip for summer, or to sip rosé with friends on a patio somewhere? I say Plump it up.

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